DARLINGTON answered their critics, believes manager Martin Gray, after seeing his team put in a much-improved display today.

They drew 1-1 at Chorley, the point not enough to stop Quakers falling a place to seventh.

It also means Darlington have now on only two of their past 12 league fixtures, but today’s performance was much better than the one of last weekend against Curzon Ashton.

Darlington lost that game 3-1, each of the goals down to dreadful defending, a fact Gray effectively acknowledged by making three changes to his first XI as well as altering the formation to 4-3-3.

Josh Gillies and Terry Galbraith were dropped, while Liam Marrs was not fit enough to start, and in their place were Dave Syers, Nathan Cartman and Josh Falkingham.

“Some people have been starting to question us a bit,” said Gray.

“I always say that we’ve got great characters and staff, and when your back is against the wall you find out what people are about.

“It’ll be interesting to see what they say tonight, the ones that were saying there was a crack.

“We’re a strong group and nobody will ever get between us.

“Believe me, we will go all the way to the end.”